Shoes for Toddlers with High Insteps – Extra Depth is the Most Important Feature!

Do you have a toddler with a high instep and does it seem almost impossible to find shoes that fit? Do you feel like you are always shoving the shoes on your toddler’s feet and when you remove the shoes there are imprints on the top part of the feet? I know which are the best shoes for toddlers with high insteps since I have been fitting children’s shoes for the last 10 years.

I have helped hundreds of toddlers with high insteps find the perfect pair of shoes for their feet, and I believe I will be able to help your child as well! If you are in a rush, you can go directly to the selection of the best shoes for toddlers with high insteps.

What Is the Instep of the Foot?

The instep is the top part of the foot, and when it’s high, it makes it a lot more complicated to find shoes that fit. Below is an image to help you visualize where the instep of the foot is located. As you can see in the image below there is a lot of extra foot volume to be fitted inside of the shoes.

Most toddlers tend to have wide or extra wide feet, but if in addition to having wide feet, they have a high instep, then the selection of shoes to choose from gets very limited. Some parents are just happy to be able to find at least one pair of shoes that fits.

What Makes the Shoes I Recommend Effective for Toddlers with High Insteps?

There are 3 key features that the shoes I recommend provide that make them ideal for toddlers with high insteps:

1️⃣ Extra Depth: Shoes that provide extra depth allow the toddler’s feet to fit deeply inside the shoes, which helps prevent the top part of your toddler’s feet from rubbing against the top part of the shoes. Let me show you the difference between a shoe that provides extra depth versus one that doesn’t:

2️⃣ Rounder Toe-Boxes: Shoes that come with a rounder toe-box help prevent your toddler’s toes from rubbing against one another or the side of the shoes. Let me show you the difference between a shoe with a rounder toe-box versus one with a pointier one:

3️⃣ Oversized Openings: This feature makes it easier for parents to slide their toddler’s feet on and off the shoes. The last thing that you want is to have to struggle every time you have to put your toddler’s shoes on.

The issue is that most parents are confused as to how they can find shoes that provide these 3 features since shoes don’t come labeled as with a “round toe-box”, “extra deep”, or with “oversized openings”.

Be Careful About Fitting Your Toddler in the Wrong Pair of Shoes!

Are you the type of parent who stresses way too much over your kids’ shoes? Ordering a whole bunch of different shoes from different shoe brands and testing which one fits better is just too frustrating, time-consuming, and doesn’t even guarantee you that your toddler will end up wearing the correct shoe size. There is a better way, I promise!

If you provide your toddler with a high instep with a pair of shoes that are too shallow, you will notice how your toddler will refuse to keep the shoes on, and the constant pressure on the top part of the foot can lead to foot pain. The other downside to providing your toddler with shoes that don’t accommodate their instep is that they might create foot issues such as blisters, calluses, and corns on the top of the toes.

I want to clarify that I don’t think that there is a particular children’s shoe brand that you can label as being better for toddlers with high insteps. I believe that among each shoe brand certain shoes are better than others when it comes to fitting high insteps.

There are regular sneakers that will fit your toddler’s high instep, and I will help you find them. In addition, there are also other shoe styles such as Mary Janes, boots, sandals, that will fit the shape of your toddler’s high instep, but in this article, I am going to cover the best everyday sneakers for toddlers with high insteps.

Shoe styles that provide extra depth, come with a rounder toe-box, and open nice and wide are the most effective ones in fitting toddlers with high insteps. However, we still need the shoes to provide the correct amount of support and be lightweight and flexible at the same time. It’s also important for your toddler’s shoes to be breathable since toddler’s feet tend to sweat a lot.

Before I show you a selection of the best shoes for toddlers with high insteps, I want to make sure that you know your toddler’s exact foot size, otherwise, you won’t know what shoe size to order.

Are You 100% Sure of Your Toddler’s Foot Size? – Let’s Find Out!

I always recommend parents take their toddlers to have their feet measured at their local specialized children’s shoe store, but the issue is that most of these stores have been closing down.

If after looking at that resource you still can’t seem to find a store in your area, then take a look at an article I wrote where I describe the simplest, yet most effective way to figure out your toddler’s foot size from home. In that article I help parents determine their child’s exact foot length and whether the child has narrow, medium, wide, or extra wide feet. I also will be able to tell you whether your child has a high instep or not.

Now that you know what features the toddler’s shoes that I recommend provide, let’s take a look at a selection of the best shoes for toddlers with high insteps.

I only review shoes that I have fitted before since that is the only way for me to tell how well-made and supportive they are, and how they fit. Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links and we may receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you) when you click our links and make purchases.

The Best Shoes for Toddlers with High Insteps

The shoes below fit the shape of toddlers with medium (M), wide (W), or extra wide (XW) feet and a high instep. Please choose the shoe width accordingly.

These are the deepest toddler’s shoes with the roundest toe-boxes that I have fitted before. There are no other shoes that are deeper than the ones I just recommended.

I recommend shoes with velcro closure for toddlers because I know how most parents don’t want to deal with constantly having to tie their toddler’s shoelaces. However, shoelaces will allow you to open up the shoes nice and wide, meaning that you should consider trying this option if the velcro options don’t work for your toddler.

It’s important for your toddler’s shoes to be wide enough at the front to provide plenty of room for their toes. Always make sure that your toddler’s shoes don’t constrict toe movement, since babies and toddlers move their toes as a way of exercising their feet.

Are Any Other Shoe Choices Available?

If you happen to be looking for a different shoe style for your toddler with high instep, please send me an e-mail and I will help you find them. My e-mail address is:

[email protected]

I also created other resources over the years that describe winter boots for toddlers with high insteps and sandals as well.

How Fast Do Toddler’s Feet Grow?

Toddler’s feet tend to grow very quickly, usually every 3^1/2 to 4 months. Please keep a close eye on your toddler’s feet since shoes that are too short or too narrow can hamper your toddler’s walking and cause problems, such as ingrown toenails.

I want to emphasize that expensive shoes don’t automatically translate into better shoes. Some of the best children’s shoes that I have fitted before and reasonably priced. It also all comes down to how the shoes fit the shape of your toddler’s feet.

You can buy a shoe that provides several features, but if they don’t fit the shape of your child’s feet correctly, your child won’t get any of the benefits that the shoes have to offer.

Socks play a key role in keeping a toddler’s feet healthy, and seamless socks are usually the ones I recommend as they help prevent the toes from rubbing or overlapping against one another.

Have you found a particular shoe that has been effective in accommodating your toddler’s high instep? Please share your findings below so other parents can benefit from your experiences.